74th OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2007 Regular Session
NOTE: Matter within { + braces and plus signs + } in an
amended section is new. Matter within { - braces and minus
signs - } is existing law to be omitted. New sections are within
{ + braces and plus signs + } .
LC 1064
House Bill 2612
Sponsored by Representatives ROBLAN, FLORES, Senators JOHNSON,
STARR; Representatives BEYER, BUCKLEY, CLEM, DALLUM, KOMP,
MINNIS, MORGAN, WHISNANT, Senators BURDICK, GORDLY, KRUSE,
MORSE (at the request of Chalkboard Project)
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the
measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject to
consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor's
brief statement of the essential features of the measure as
introduced.
Directs Department of Education to distribute student
achievement grants to school districts for educational programs
and activities that attain or maintain academic performance
targets. Specifies types of student achievement grants to include
early age initiative grants, quality educator grants and
additional improvement grants.
Changes name of School Improvement Fund to Student Achievement
Fund.
Appropriates moneys from General Fund to Department of
Education for student achievement grants.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to education; creating new provisions; amending ORS
327.294; repealing ORS 327.290 and 327.297; and appropriating
money.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1. ORS 327.294 is amended to read:
327.294. (1) There is established the { - School
Improvement - } { + Student Achievement + } Fund, separate and
distinct from the General Fund. Interest earned by the
{ - School Improvement - } { + Student Achievement + } Fund
shall be credited to the fund. Any moneys in the fund that are
not distributed by the Department of Education in any fiscal year
shall be retained in the fund and may be distributed in the next
fiscal year.
(2) The moneys in the fund are continuously appropriated to the
Department of Education for purposes of the { + student
achievement + } grant program created by { - ORS 327.297 - }
{ + section 2 of this 2007 Act + }.
{ + (3) For each fiscal year, the department shall determine
the percentages of moneys in the fund to be distributed for each
type of student achievement grant listed in section 2 (2) of this
2007 Act. + }
SECTION 2. { + (1) In addition to those moneys distributed
through the State School Fund, the Department of Education shall
award student achievement grants to school districts for
educational programs and activities that attain or maintain
academic performance targets.
(2) There shall be three types of student achievement grants:
(a) Early age initiative grants as described in section 3 of
this 2007 Act.
(b) Quality educator grants as described in section 4 of this
2007 Act.
(c) Additional improvement grants as described in section 5 of
this 2007 Act.
(3) Each school district may apply to the department for one or
more types of student achievement grants. An application must
include a brief plan that describes the proposed use of the grant
funds and that meets guidelines established by the department.
The department shall:
(a) Approve all or part of the plan;
(b) Modify the plan in consultation with the school district;
or
(c) Disapprove the plan.
(4) Grant applications for the funding of educational programs
and activities for the next school year must be submitted to the
department no later than March 1. The department shall approve,
modify or disapprove the plan within 30 days after receiving the
application.
(5) If the department disapproves the plan, the school district
may submit a revised plan within 30 days after receiving notice
from the department of the disapproval of the plan.
(6) The department shall notify the school district of the
amount of grant funds the school district will receive to
implement the plan. Schools districts may use grant funds only in
accordance with the plan approved by the department.
(7)(a) Notwithstanding ORS 338.155 (9), the department may not
award a grant under this section directly to a public charter
school.
(b) A school district that receives a grant under this section
may transfer a portion of the grant to a public charter school
based on the charter of the school or any other agreement between
the school district and the public charter school.
(c) A public charter school that receives grant funds under
this subsection shall use the funds for the activities specified
in the plan submitted by the school district.
(8) The department shall establish reporting procedures and
auditing guidelines for school districts to ensure that grant
funds are used in accordance with their approved purpose. The
reporting procedures shall include a requirement that school
districts must demonstrate to the department how the use of the
grant funds supported the goal of the grant.
(9) Each school district shall deposit the grant funds in a
separate account and shall apply amounts in that account to pay
for the educational programs and activities for which the school
district received the grant funds.
(10) A school district may not use grant funds for
administrative costs, as defined by rule of the State Board of
Education.
(11) The State Board of Education may adopt any rules necessary
for the administration of the grant program. + }
SECTION 3. { + (1) The Department of Education shall award
early age initiative grants to school districts for the purpose
of improving student achievement in kindergarten through grade
three. The following educational programs or activities may
qualify for an early age initiative grant:
(a) Establishing a program to reduce class sizes with the
intent to achieve a ratio of one licensed teacher to every 15 to
17 students in kindergarten or first grade.
(b) Providing a reading tutor program for students in
kindergarten through grade 3 who have been assessed as reading
below grade level. The program shall be designed to provide
one-on-one tutoring for the students. Tutoring may be provided
outside of normal school hours, including mornings, evenings and
weekends and during the summer. Tutors shall be either licensed
teachers or volunteers trained by the Start Making a Reader Today
(SMART) program.
(c) Providing a program or activity proposed by the school
district and approved by the department that is likely to
increase the number of students who meet state benchmarks for
reading and mathematics by the third grade. An early age
initiative grant may be used to fund a program or activity under
this paragraph if the school district already has a class-size
reduction program and a reading tutor program as described in
paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection, or demonstrates to the
department that an alternative program or activity proposed under
this paragraph is more likely to enhance the reading achievement
of kindergarten through grade three students in the district than
the programs described in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this
subsection.
(2) The amount of a grant = the school district's average daily
membership (ADM), as that term is defined in ORS 327.006, for
kindergarten through grade three students for the school year
preceding the year in which grant funds will be used X (the total
amount available for the grants in each distribution year : the
total ADM for kindergarten through grade three students in all of
the school districts that qualify for the grant). + }
SECTION 4. { + (1) The Department of Education shall award
quality educator grants to school districts for the purpose of
improving the quality of teachers and administrators. The
following educational programs or activities may qualify for a
quality educator grant:
(a) Establishing mentorship programs through which experienced
teachers and administrators become mentors for schools to work
with beginning teachers and administrators.
(b) Providing ongoing professional development to teachers and
administrators to increase student achievement.
(2) The amount of a grant = the school district's average daily
membership (ADM), as that term is defined in ORS 327.006, for the
school year preceding the year in which grant funds will be used
X (the total amount available for the grants in each distribution
year : the total ADM of all of the school districts that qualify
for the grant). + }
SECTION 5. { + (1) The Department of Education shall award
additional improvement grants to school districts for the purpose
of improving student achievement. The following educational
programs or activities may qualify for an additional improvement
grant:
(a) Implementing educational practices jointly identified by
the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Quality
Education Commission as demonstrating a high likelihood of
improving student achievement in grades 6 through 12.
(b) Implementing a quality full-day kindergarten program that
is aligned with the academic standards adopted by the State Board
of Education.
(2) The amount of a grant = the school district's average daily
membership (ADM), as that term is defined in ORS 327.006, for
grade 6 through 12 students for the school year preceding the
year in which grant funds will be used X (the total amount
available for the grants in each distribution year : the total
ADM for grades 6 through 12 in all of the school districts that
qualify for the grant). + }
SECTION 6. { + No later than February 1 of each year, the
Department of Education shall report to the Legislative Assembly
on the student achievement grant program for that fiscal year.
The report shall include:
(1) A description of the operation of the grant program;
(2) A summary of the total amount of grant funds paid to school
districts;
(3) A summary of the uses of grant funds by school districts;
and
(4) The number of school districts that used grant funds and
the approved educational programs and activities for which the
grant funds were used. + }
SECTION 7. { + The Department of Education shall first award
student achievement grants under section 2 of this 2007 Act for
the 2008-2009 school year. + }
SECTION 8. { + (1) The amendments to ORS 327.294 by section 1
of this 2007 Act are intended to change the name of the 'School
Improvement Fund' to the 'Student Achievement Fund. '
(2) For the purpose of harmonizing and clarifying statute
sections published in Oregon Revised Statutes, the Legislative
Counsel may substitute for words designating the 'School
Improvement Fund,' wherever they occur in Oregon Revised
Statutes, other words designating the 'Student Achievement
Fund.' + }
SECTION 9. { + There is appropriated to the Department of
Education, for the biennium beginning July 1, 2007, out of the
General Fund, for the Student Achievement Fund, the following
amounts:
(1) $35 million for early age initiative grants as described in
section 3 of this 2007 Act.
(2) $5 million for quality educator grants as described in
section 4 of this 2007 Act. + }
SECTION 10. { + ORS 327.290 and 327.297 are repealed. + }
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